How much weight gain is healthy?
The calorie requirement of a pregnant woman increases in the first 3 months of pregnancy depending on the basal metabolic rate before pregnancy by an average of 100 to 200 kilocalories, from the 4th month of pregnancy onwards it increases by approximately 500 kilocalories. The assumption that the pregnant woman “eats for two” is therefore incorrect. In general, a pregnant woman should eat when she is hungry and until she is full, she usually does not have to take more care than other people to take in enough calories.
Excessive unnecessary calorie intake can lead to increased weight gain during pregnancy, which is of no benefit to either the baby or the mother. However, the opposite, namely the desire to gain as little weight as possible, is more dangerous, especially for the well-being of the child. The recommended weight gain during pregnancy depends on the mother’s previous BMI and is greater the smaller it was before.
The average weight gain during pregnancy is 10-12 kg. This value is perfectly healthy and is also based on an increased blood volume and increased water retention in the tissues. These changes will normalize on their own after pregnancy.
Summary
The diet during pregnancy corresponds to a healthy and varied diet. Raw foods, especially raw fish, raw meat and raw eggs should be avoided completely and attention should be paid to the origin and possible germ or heavy metal contamination of all products. In addition, certain vitamins and trace elements can be taken additionally in consultation with the doctor.
These recommendations change very little even during the breastfeeding period. In special cases, such as heartburn or gestational diabetes, further restrictions sometimes apply in order to optimize the diet for mother and child.
